2008 Woodie Awards
SCIENCE BRIEFS
Alexander Tingey
Issue date: 10/19/06 Section: Health
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A PAINLESS WAY TO PREVENT THE FLU
A study at St. Louis University has shown a significant increase in the protective power of a spray flu vaccine for children 5 years and younger. The spray, which is inserted directly in the infant's nose, has been proven to be 55 percent more effective than traditional inoculation, when given to the nearly 8,000 children involved in the study, in preventing the sickness. The main difference between the two application methods is found in the fact that the spray has weakened-- but live influenza virus inside of it. The traditional inoculation method involves inactive forms of the virus' protein. This means that the live-virus nasal spray more accurately mimics the real flu infection by stimulating immune defenses first in the nose and then across the entire body. Flu shots, made with dead influenza virus, don't give the nose reaction produced with the new spray. "So while flu shots are good at boosting previous immunity in healthy people who've caught flu before or been inoculated many times, more immune-naive babies and preschoolers may need that more flu like nasal response," said Dr. Robert Belshe, a prominent vaccine specialist at St. Louis University who led the study. The research, however, did find a safety concern; a few of the very youngest patients, those ages 6 months to 2 years, had an episode of asthma, and some minor respiratory difficulty in the weeks following exposure to the virus. Researchers will, for the moment, recommend that the vaccine be used primarily for those aged two and above.
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MANY CHILDREN WHO NEED THE FLU VACCINE AREN'T RECEIVING IT
According to the Associated Press, nearly half of all young children who should be getting an annual flu shot are not, and as one study points out, with increased carriers, comes an intensified flu season. Health officials have also extended the range of critical aged children from six months to two years all the way up to five years. The AP also reported that "for children between the ages of 2 and 5, there is a higher rate of clinic and emergency room visits due to flu-related illness than with other illnesses." This it is imperative that all children in a given household receive the vaccine in order to protect the younger siblings. While researchers at Johns Hopkins Medical center cite a fifty recent compliance rate for inoculation, another survey which required a verified age by a primary health care provider claims that as few as one third of all children who should be vaccinated are receiving the treatment. "The real message is, no matter what survey you look at, we're nowhere near protecting the number of children that we're supposed to," said Dr. Jeanne Santoli, a pediatrician at the CDC told AP reporters last week.
A study at St. Louis University has shown a significant increase in the protective power of a spray flu vaccine for children 5 years and younger. The spray, which is inserted directly in the infant's nose, has been proven to be 55 percent more effective than traditional inoculation, when given to the nearly 8,000 children involved in the study, in preventing the sickness. The main difference between the two application methods is found in the fact that the spray has weakened-- but live influenza virus inside of it. The traditional inoculation method involves inactive forms of the virus' protein. This means that the live-virus nasal spray more accurately mimics the real flu infection by stimulating immune defenses first in the nose and then across the entire body. Flu shots, made with dead influenza virus, don't give the nose reaction produced with the new spray. "So while flu shots are good at boosting previous immunity in healthy people who've caught flu before or been inoculated many times, more immune-naive babies and preschoolers may need that more flu like nasal response," said Dr. Robert Belshe, a prominent vaccine specialist at St. Louis University who led the study. The research, however, did find a safety concern; a few of the very youngest patients, those ages 6 months to 2 years, had an episode of asthma, and some minor respiratory difficulty in the weeks following exposure to the virus. Researchers will, for the moment, recommend that the vaccine be used primarily for those aged two and above.
****************
MANY CHILDREN WHO NEED THE FLU VACCINE AREN'T RECEIVING IT
According to the Associated Press, nearly half of all young children who should be getting an annual flu shot are not, and as one study points out, with increased carriers, comes an intensified flu season. Health officials have also extended the range of critical aged children from six months to two years all the way up to five years. The AP also reported that "for children between the ages of 2 and 5, there is a higher rate of clinic and emergency room visits due to flu-related illness than with other illnesses." This it is imperative that all children in a given household receive the vaccine in order to protect the younger siblings. While researchers at Johns Hopkins Medical center cite a fifty recent compliance rate for inoculation, another survey which required a verified age by a primary health care provider claims that as few as one third of all children who should be vaccinated are receiving the treatment. "The real message is, no matter what survey you look at, we're nowhere near protecting the number of children that we're supposed to," said Dr. Jeanne Santoli, a pediatrician at the CDC told AP reporters last week.
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